Ha ha! Youtube rules! :)

You can learn anything from youtube.com! Look what I can do! This is going to be the hat afterall... It's going to be striped, blue and cream. Perfect for a little boy! :)

More knitting...

After more than a month of no needle-work, I finally picked up my knitting again this week. I finished one side of the bag I started long ago. I obviously still have to make the other side, and the handles- but at least I finished one! It's progress! :)



I started a new project- it'll be a hat for a much smaller head than I've done before. :) According to the pattern, it is supposed to be knitted in the round, but I don't know how to do that yet- so I am kind of hoping that I might be able to knit it straight, and then sew up the seam. I guess we'll see. I only started a small part last night, as you can see- and I might just end up unraveling it, and learning to do it right in the round, or at least moving it to a circular needle, even if I don't do it properly in the round. :) It does have a very cute pattern of 3K1P, which is an easy variation that I just haven't done before.

Done...but what's the point?

So, here they are...I finished both our hats.
(Joel was too busy playing his racing game to pose for a real picture...)

The question is of course, what is the point, since it's not cold here, and it just keeps raining. I guess we can bring them to Michigan with us in just over a month...my parents just had a blizzard yesterday. Mine turned out quite perfectly if I don't say so myself, but Joel's is a little big, as you can see it bunches a little at the back. But I'm sure this will just mean more warmth.

Here are my new projects:

This mess is going to be a bag. The pattern (as the pattern for the hats!) came from the knitting calendar that Joel's brother and sister-in-law gave me for Christmas. This is really just in the beginning stages...but I'm sure it will be awesome. :) Gotta love the color! :)

This scarf is made from the wool that Joel's mum sent me and the pattern (it has little knots along the edges) is from the book she sent me (thanks Maria!). For a long time I could not decide what to do with it. I finally decided to use very large needles to make a loosely knit fairly skinny scarf...as much fashion statement as function. :) I have an idea of who I would like to give it to as a present, because I think the wool is exactly HER colors. Maybe, if she guesses who I think she is, then I will give it to her! :) Maybe I will give it to her anyway! :)

So, there you go... busy, busy knitting lady I am. It's just so much fun though! It's really a shame I can't take my needles on the plane...rest assured they'll be in my luggage though...no better way to unwind in the hostel at night after a long day at the job fair... :)

We leave on Wednesday...wish us luck! :)

I've been working hard...

So here is another finished product. Another scarf for Joel...just in time for there being no winter in Latvia (not that I'm complaining, I told him I'd make him wear it anyway!) and for us to be considering moving to warmer climates. :) Oh well. It was a labor of love and learning. It's amazing how quickly doing the knit, knit, purl, purl became second nature to me (especially since I was so freaked out by learning the new stitch). Although I did find out from my "teacher" that I was doing a backwards purl, because I was twisting the yarn the wrong way round the needle. But, this is ok, as it still left me with a very nice product, and apparently it's a real stitch sometimes called for specifically. So, there you go. Anyway, here is the scarf:



Now, the next piece of work...the whole reason behind the last scarf is the now started hat. I did the scarf to learn the purl, so that I could employ said purl in this here hat. For the record, this hat was started, unraveled and restarted at least 10 times. Following knitting directions when you're not that used to it, is not that easy. And then, all of a sudden (especially when you've done it a million times) it becomes so easy that you can't imagine why you didn't do it right the first 10 times. So here are the beginnings of a hat for Joel, that will match both his new scarf and his old scarf. :) Let's hope it actually works out to looking like a hat in the end. :)


I'm having a lot of fun with this knitting thing, so keep in mind people, if I do end up moving someplace warm, I'm going to be looking for people to make presents for. :)


***Updated later the same night***

OK, hats are quick. :) This puppy is pretty much finished! I'm not sure if I will try to actually do the finishing on my own, or wait until Thursday, when I can do it under the watchful eye of my young, hip, awesome teacher. (Did I ever mention that she actually is a young woman 5 years my junior, who simply learned to knit because she went to school in Latvia? Well, it's true. You should have seen the gorgeous socks that she made her boyfriend for Christmas...anyway... I digress...) So, here is what I did in one night:

You gotta admit, it looks like a hat, eh? :)

Done!

I finished another knitting project. The biggest one for sure. It's a baby blanket for someone and his/her mother, who for all I know doesn't check this blog ever/often. She could prove me wrong by leaving a comment...but I'm guessing I'm right. :) Anyway, the baby is due the same weekend of the job fair...so hopefully we'll have great things happening in threes that weekend (me and Joel finding dream jobs, a beautiful healthy baby being born, and ??? (who knows!)).

Here it is!


P.S. I need LOTS of work on sewing in all the loose ends that happen when you change balls of yarn...this was the first project for which I did it on my own...my knitting teacher did it for my other ones. Maybe you can't see the places they are sewn in in this picture, but whooeeee...in person you sure can! But, I'm going to assume that it will make it that much more endearing to the recipient. :)

Good news x 2!

OK, the best news is that Joel and I just received our invitation to the CIS job fair in London. We'll be there in February (I think the 13th-17th). This is good because we had already bought tickets to London...now they are justified! :) Just so you know, we're looking for new jobs in high paying, warm Asia. It's less than a month away! How exciting, and nerve-wracking...and oh lord, I need to find something to wear to interviews! I must again say a HUGE thank you to my Mom, my Dad and my Malda for all the help I got in getting together all my documents. I literally could not have done it without you!

The second bit of good news is that I started a new knitting project. Not only that, but I taught myself to purl. OK, those of you not into knitting are like, "What?" But, until now I only knew how to do a knit stitch and not a purl, and I taught myself last night how to do the purl...so I rock. So I went out today and got some new yarn and needles (so I can have multiple projects going at once) so I could hone my purling skills. I decided to start by making Joel another scarf (he didn't even know he needed one!) in a ribbed style. I figured this was an easy enough way to practice the purl before I attempt a more intricate pattern. I also bought the yarn to make both myself and Joel hats/beenies in a matching pattern, but different colors. These will come after this scarf. My hat will match my multi-color scarf, and Joel's will match both this new scarf and his old one. Anyway, here are some pics of the work I've accomplished on the scarf in the last hour or so. Not bad for a first-timer! Oh, and the first picture is taken with a flash and shows the true color, but the second picture, taken without flash shows the ribbing better.



Back to knitting! :)

Fallen

I've fallen... (read on to find out how...)

...prey to local fashion.

I have lived in Latvia for about two and a half years. A couple weeks ago I bought a pair of shoes in Latvia for the first time ever. Why? Because I had no winter-y heels, and I needed some for the holiday season. The pair I bought were cute and probably on par with what you might find in a shoe shop elsewhere in the world and classified as "cool" right now.

Today though, after what feels like years of searching, I fell prey to the pointy-toe boot. Latvian girls don't wear any other kind of toe, unless you count the rounded pointy toe that has now become popular in the cowboy boot style of high heeled black boots. There are no high heeled black boots with square toes in Latvia (except that ONE pair that I found in my first spring here...but I swear that was a fluke, because I have NEVER seen another pair remotely like it). Anyway...that pair I bought two years ago is well worn out... and I have been madly searching for a new pair all autumn/winter. Well today, I saw this pair that has a pointy square toe (close?)...it was in my size, made of materials other than leather, and only 13Ls ($26 USD), and the last pair of its kind. I snatched em up, and then died a little on the inside. I was sad that I couldn't hold on to my morals and principles until March when I get to the States and could buy another pair of square toed black high heeled boots. I have fallen prey.

...into the Christmas spirit.

I made Joel buy me this little tiny potted Christmas tree a few weeks ago. It's decorated as always with ladybugs, silver balls and white lights. :) I'm just sad that I don't have any presents to put under it yet. Just as well, because the cat would probably bat them around and off the windowsill if they were there! If you look closely, you can see that instead of a tree skirt I have wrapped the bottom of our tree in aluminum foil, because it's the only thing that will keep Bumbi out of the soil. Ah well...it kind of matches the silver balls. :) I can't wait until Thursday when we will have our class holiday party at school, and then call it quits for 2 1/2 weeks. I'm very much looking forward to sleeping in, days without kids, going out to the country with Joel's family for Christmas, spending Boxing day with friends from school, and before all of that, finishing up the Christmas shopping. :)

...into a severe addiction.

Knitting has become a serious new hobby of mine. Above is pictures the scarf I knit for my goddaughter for Christmas. It might be a little wide, and possibly just a tad too short...but since it's only my third attempt at knitting ever, (and since she's two) I think she (and her parents) will forgive me. I started this scarf on Thursday. I finished this scarf on Saturday. This scarf used three skeins of special baby yarn. That's a lot of knitting for my hands in three days. I am improving leaps and bounds in my knitting... this one stayed at 25 loops the whole way. I did drop two stitches along the way...but this coming Thursday my young and hip knitting teacher will help me unravel to get rid of those holes and re-do it. Next, I will also learn another stitch (because I am still only doing one.) Oh but, why does it matter about this addiction? Well, only because I am pretty sure I might actually be giving myself arthritis with every pearl I do... I tried to pick up my needles this morning while Joel and I were watching a show, and it hurt so much I just had to put them back down again. The multi-colored scarf that I posted about in my last post is almost done...but it looks like getting to the end might take a while. I will keep trying though, oh yes I will. :)


...in love with an amazing man. (and that is what I look like when I'm in love... :) Actually, I want to change my profile picture, and I need to post the new picture before I can change it, but it gives me a good reason to praise Joel.)

I can be a crazy, crazy bat sometimes. REALLY. Something (winter, darkness, overwhelm, PMS...who knows) has gotten into me lately, and I have been picking fights, being unreasonable, and being immensely over-critical of myself in a drag him down kind of way a lot. Through all of this, however, Joel has been cool. Yeah, I've pushed him, even over the edge, and he's lost it...but he always comes back...ready and willing to smooth over whatever is going on. Ready to hold my hand, hug me, offer words of support or whatever I really need, instead of a fight.

Tonight in one of those highly conscious moments that you have sometimes, I realized just how happy I am to have found him. I never did think I would find him...even if I didn't know who he was, when I felt that way. I'm a lucky girl to have this guy in my life. And I can only hope that he feels the same way the next time I go off the deep end with him. :)

So there you go... fallen, in four different ways... some bad, some good. Each an experience. :)

It can only get better...

Last night I learned to finish off a scarf. And then I drank a lot of wine which I am regretting now. But that is another story. The point is, my very first, made with my own hands scarf is now around someone's neck. I'm only going to show it to you around his neck too because it is my first scarf after all, and it's far from perfect. I started the scarf with 40 loops...very soon I was up to 45. Half way through the scarf, I thought, "that's too big" and inquirer and thinker that I am, I figured out on my own how to get it back down to 40. My "knitting teacher" told me I am very smart, because I figured out the right way to do it. I did it way too fast though. So what ended up happening was that the scarf got obviously narrower pretty quickly... so, one end of the scarf is fat and very loosely knit (I was learning!) and the other end is skinnier, and nicer.

But look, in this picture, it just looks warm and nice! :)

And here is a close up. It didn't turn out as long as Joel had said he wanted, but my knitting teacher said it'll stretch, especially considering how loosely it's knit.


And this is my new project, which I already started right away last night! (It'll be for me, and it'll be much narrower to begin with.) I fell in love with the yarn. AND, I was peeing my pants because I found a yarn store in Old Riga, and it is literally just this good sized store that has walls and shelves lined with yarn, yarn and more yarn!!! :) I am such a dork now, but I love it!

Little update...

4 days and 1 skein of yarn later... Joel's scarf is half way done. :) My hands HURT. The second half will commence after a few days rest... as long as I can talk myself into holding off. :)

Look what I can do!

No, my name is not Stuart, and I'm not going to do a little dance for you... but, look at what I can do!!! :)


Tonight I had my very first knitting lesson. I have wanted to learn how to knit for a long time actually, and I finally found the right friend to teach me. My friend Diana is being taught by her friend Ilze, so...I joined in the fun, and here we are learning together.

I picked out the yarn today after school with Joel in mind. When I got home and showed him what already existed of his scarf, he was quite pleased. He wasn't all THAT impressed...come on, I will never compare to his amazing mother in this respect! But, it's a new skill for me, and one I have to say I am excited about. I already feel quite confident in what I am doing, and since coming home from Diana's tonight have already fixed one mess up by myself. :) Luckily, since it's the first scarf I am ever making him, he HAS to like it! :)

I'll post a picture of the finished product whenever it appears... hopefully before the end of winter since it's a scarf for Joel...but then again, we have about 5 more months of winter...so I think I have time!!!

Oh, and yes, you might have noticed the paw in the picture. I got one without a paw, but, frankly, since it seems his paws will be around my knitting pretty consistently, I figured I would just go ahead and put in the picture with Bumbi's paw. No, he's not helping. :)